Club Sirius
by Roringugaru
Summary: "You think you got problems...try living my life for a day! I have to deal with going to college AND keep up with a double life! And Six Host club Vampires does not make it any easier. Not to mention that HE of all people seems to have a split personality...why me?" If you loved my story the Sirius Beast Tamer, hopefully this will live up to the hype.
1. Chapter 1

**Bad day or Good Day**

"Damn it damn it damn IT….just Damn IT ALL!" I can't help but scream at the top of my lungs while I stand out front of my college. People stare at me as the walk by or try to avoid making eye contact, "First I'm late to my first class then I'm late for the sub way…I flunked my exam…and now I don't have enough money for a ride home…" I take a deep breath. "But that doesn't mean the afternoon won't be better right? At least I have the weekend to look forward to now with all my classes done and over with today. Ok…I at least have my wallet I can always use my card to get a cab ride home…the subway is just cheaper…" with my spirits renewed I decide to head into town.

"Hey Miri (Me-Ree)!" I turn to see a few of my friends form class. "We're all planning on going to dinner tonight are you planning on coming."

"Dinner sounds great!...except I have no money…" _and I need to save what's left on my debit card for my ride home…_

"Oh…well that's ok maybe next time." _Jerks! The least you could have done was suggest you pay for my bill tonight and I would have paid you back! _ I can't help but glare at their backs as they walk off leaving me with absolutely no plans tonight. A huge sigh escapes me as I start walking along hoping to at least life my spirits with some window sopping. The town is alive with people either getting off work at 3 in the afternoon or something else. Others seem to be going around on dates as I notice younger teen couples skipping high school. Looking around I decide to pull my iphone out from my backpack and listen to some music as I walk along. The music starts to put me in a good mood as I find myself walking along with a skip in my step. Across the street I find a store I think I would like to look into and press the button to cross the street. As I wait others stop behind or by me waiting for the sign to say walk. I close my eyes as I listen to the music continuing on to a new song. A few seconds later

"ACK!" I suddenly feel wet and cold; a car passes by in the distance before the light changes red for him. Looking down I find a rippling puddle of water. "…A puddle…did it have to be a puddle?" my shirt is totally soaked along with my hair and now ruined ear buds; and instead of seeing if I'm ok the crowd just walks on past me as if I don't exist. Trying not to let my bad luck get the best of me I take a few deep breaths,

"Are you ok?" I continue to take a few deep breaths as the person talks to me, "Miss?"

"I'm fine, just trying not to let this ruin my day…along with everything else that has happened today…!" I say through gritted teeth. _I will not let this beat me I will not let this beat me…!_

"You're soaking wet though…" I turn to the one angel out of the sea of monsters that spoke to me. His eyes are kind as they entrance me deeper into those brown pools. His Japanese is very good considering that just by looking at him he's a foreigner perhaps from America. His skin is dark yet it's not ruined by any kind of blemish that I can see. He's clearly older than be but by how much I'm not really able to say. He looks young enough to be in his late twenties early thirties but in his eyes it almost seems as though he's older than that.

"Oh um yeah...I guess I did get a bit wet." Looking down at my shirt I start to feel a bit red in the face. _He…everyone can see my bra…_ I try to cover myself up with my arms but it does no good. _Ok this is bad…what am I going to do…I don't the money to go buy a new shirt right now!_ Suddenly I feel a jacket drape over my shoulders,

"Here use this." the stranger pulls the jacket he was wearing closed around me hiding me from peeping eyes.

"Th-Thanks but this is yours isn't it?" out of no where he suddenly kisses my forehead making my mind go blank, "Wah…!" he smiles at me making me feel as though my heart will leap right out of my chest,

"It's fine; try to stay warm ok?"

"Ah…But…" he walks away back into the crowd before I'm able to stop him, disappearing into the crowd. I tug a little bit on the jacket pulling it a bit closer. "Wow…who was that guy?" while still thinking that I put on the oversized jacket to hide my wet clothes underneath.

Although meeting the guy only proves to be my highlight of the day. After that it's all just gone down hill from there. _I'm about to give up on optimism… how did I get mistaken for being a thief? If the real thing hadn't shown up I would have taken the blame for it… not to mention how did they mistake me for a GUY? I'm a girl last time I checked. Then I get food thrown all over me…this stain is never going to come out of this shirt! Good thing I put away that guy's jacket before hand…it would have gotten stained instead. Speaking of which I wonder who he was? Does he work somewhere near by in the city? It was nice of him to let me use his jacket but…I need to find out where he works so I can give it back. He was wearing casual clothes so…was he on a day off or was he passing the time while waiting for his shift? Hm…it was strange though, I'm sure everyone had already crossed the road but he seemed to just appear out of nowhere. He was really mysterious too…and what was with that kiss on the forehead too? It was really unexpected…well I can always try to find out later…_ pulling my phone out I see that it's getting to be around 9 p.m. pulling up my contacts I dial the number for the cab number thanking good planning for having the number ready in my phone. There's a dial tone when, "He-Yah!?" someone knocks me over as they pass by and doesn't even stop to see if I'm alright. They look a bit shady too. As he runs I notice something in his in his hand. "Hey my backpack!" I shout as I pick myself up and chase after the person, "Stop thief!" his pace picks up as he realizes I'm hot on his tail. "Give me back my bag you coward!" I can only run for so much longer as the shady man gets further and further away, "S-Stop Thief! Somebody stop him!" out of nowhere someone new comes and kneels down kicking the thief causing them to trip. The thief nearly flips in the air before landing on his side. In an instant the person who stopped the thief has retrieved my bag for me and has one of the thief's arms locked behind their back. When I finally reach the scene I take a moment to catch my breath. "T-thank…y-you…" I heave.

"Don't worry about it; here you go." Leaving the now unconscious thief alone my rescuer stands and hands over my backpack but we both seem to freeze at who it is.

"You…!" I can't help but point a finger at him.

"You…?"

"What are you doing here?" again we're shocked at the fact that we asked the same question at the same time. He's dressed completely differently from before. His clothes are really stylish now and seem to be a bit more professional. He was good looking in his normal clothes but this is…kind of better.

"Here you go." With a smile he hands over my backpack and immediately check to see if everything is in it. Thankfully nothing seems to be missing and I breathe a sigh of relief. The thief now waking up grumbles looking to see where he is. Something in me snaps and,

"You piece of trash!"

"Whoa, hold on now!" the strange man holds me back from ripping into the thief who stares at me in fear,

"I oughta rip your eyes out and make you eat them! do you even know the kind of day I've been through?! And who the HELL attacks a helpless girl! Hey where do you think you're going?!" the thief obviously afraid that he angered the wrong person dashes off into the night leaving my rescuer to hold me back as I shout angrily.

"Please calm down miss…" he gently says in my ear and for some reason it snaps me back to my senses. Seeing that I've calmed down he lets me go.

"Damn it…" finally all my optimism has been used up and I collapse to the ground. it takes a lot to push me to tears yet some how I'm managing to hold them back, "this day has been the worst EVER…! What next? Am I going to get shot?!"

"That's not really something you should joke about…"

"With the bad luck I've had today…I WISH I was joking…"

"H-hey now don't talk like that!"

"Sorry…I didn't mean to dump my problems on you…" another huge sigh escapes me, "man what a nightmare of a day…" I stand, "well I guess I should just call the cab and…" as if to just push my buttons even more as I try to dial the cab the battery runs out and the screen goes black. "SON OF A- MMMMMMGH!" I use every curse word I can as I let all my frustration out right in front of this strange man and any other passerby daring enough to stare at me. After a bout a minute of continuously cussing it's nearly impossible for me to hold back my tears, "Damn it…sniff…this is the worst day…now how am I supposed to get home…I can't even call the stupid cab…sniff…" still holding my dead phone I furiously try to wipe away my tears as more and more stream down my face.

"Here…" he holds out a handkerchief to me allowing me to use it. As I wipe my tears he pets my head trying to console me. "It sounds like you need someone to listen to you vent right now…" as I finish wiping my face off I stare up at him, "Come with me." he takes me by the wrist and pulls me along to a nearby building. When we get close to it the sign reads Club Sirius in big neon lights. Yet instead of being gaudy it looks to be kind of cool adding some sort of appeal to the building. _W-wait a minute…this is the number one host club known in this city! Wait don't tell me!_

"You work here?" I ask.

"Yes I do." _Well…he certainly has the look of one. _"Come on now follow me." he enters into the building still slightly dragging me behind him. Entering to the huge building, the sign doesn't do any justice to what awaits. This place could even be fit to serve royalty. There's a fountain with coy fish at the entrance itself; a chandelier hangs from the ceiling and there's even a buffet of fruits and sweets. I can't help but gape at how expensive this place looks.

"Er…I don't think I have enough money to pay for services…" I say cautiously to him. Still walking he turns to me still smiling,

"It's ok; it's on the house tonight."

"What?! But won't you get in trouble for…"

"It's fine I'll work something out later with the owner." Looking around the place is packed with female customers all surrounding a different host. They're too far away for me to actually see them at the moment.

"Oh there you Mr. Christopher! I was about to come out looking for you." A young man comes up to us. He looks cute in a boyish and innocent kind of way. He seems younger than me a bit even though he's dressed as a butler it seems. His sandy brown hair seems kind of fluffy adding to his innocent charm and his big brown eyes also seem to mesmerize me. Just like before though even though he looks young his eyes seem to hold an unknown maturity.

"Sorry I didn't mean to be gone so long; I ended up running into a bit of a situation."

"Really what happened?"

"Nothing serious. Is there a table open right now that I can tend to this young lady at?" his remark makes me blush slightly.

"Yeah table seven should be open right now."

"Thomas come on! What's taking so long?!" a group of girls are beckoning over the cute young man from a distance.

"Sorry Miss Mina; I'll be there in just a second." He turns to me and bows slightly, "Enjoy your time here ma'am." With that he heads over to the table to tend to the ladies.

"Over here." My strange acquaintance leads me to a glass table with an intricate gold border with a soft violet colored couch. "Please sit." I hesitate for a moment but the way he gestures for me to sit down feels as though he's pulling me in and I find myself sitting on the couch. But he doesn't sit down yet. "Hello there; my name is Christopher. I look forward to serving you this evening."

"Er…hi Christopher…my name's Miri." _I can't believe I'm being severed by a host at Club Sirius…_

he laughs slightly noticing how nervous I am.

"I think I may have something in mind that will help you calm down; please excuse me, I'll be right back." With a light bow he leaves me by myself for a few moments as I take a look at my surroundings even more. After a few minutes he returns with a delicious looking piece of cake. The cake itself looks like green but the chocolate frosting makes it look really good s strawberry on top finishes to look of the cake. "Here you are." He hands me the cake with a fork before setting down the patter with a tea set he had in his other hand. Once he sits down Christopher starts preparing the tea. "What do you like in your tea."

"Um…milk and some sugar." _I kind of feel like I don't deserve this kind of treatment._ As he prepares the tea I can't seem to settle down at all; he sets the cup down on the table in front of me. "Aren't you going to eat?" Christopher asks as he leans back on the couch after making his own tea.

"Oh um…sorry." I take a piece of the cake on my fork and eat it. "Mint chocolate chip…!"

"That's right."

"It's really good. Mmm…! So yummy!" I take another bite enjoying the taste of the cake. Suddenly I realize he's watching me and I freeze. "Er…sorry…I just never expected…it's good."

"heh I'm glad you're smiling now." I set the cake on the table and lift the tea up to my lips. The warm and smooth taste of the tea is so good I don't think even a professional level café can compete with it. "So what happened today besides the thief and the puddle? I'm guessing other incidents took place in order to wind you up so much."

"You don't even know the half of it…it was basically one bad thing after another today…" I take another sip of the tea.

"You can tell me about it if you want; I'll listen."

"Oh n-no, no I mean you've already done more than enough for me. I mean the service and helping me out today not to mention treating me like this without having to pay. I mean there's no way I can ask for you to listen to me yammer and complain about that stuff." He smiles as he props an arm up on the couch and rests his head in his hand,

"Being independent is a great quality to have Miri…but sometimes even those kinds of people need someone to listen every now and again." his gentle voice makes me blush slightly. _I don't like sounding weak in front of people but…he's already seen me cry, _"If it helps, what we talk about tonight will not leave this table."

"You…promise it won't?" he places a finger to his lips,

"My lips are sealed." I take a deep breath "Well it just pretty much started with me waking up late today…" slowly but surely I tell Christopher my whole story From waking up late to the incident with the thief. All the while he listens intently to me complain about every little thing I possibly can. When I stop he occasionally gives his own opinion about the story. By the end of it I feel so relaxed that I feel all muscles in my body are relaxed as if I've taken a nice hot bath to relieve the tension. "And than you brought me here."

"I see…well after all that I can understand why you would be pushed to tears. I'm sorry that all happened to you."

"Just one of those days I guess. Although I never would have expected that you would be a host though…I think the entire day today you were the one good thing that happened."

"Yes well I'm surprised that you yourself know so much about foul language." I remember all the cuss words and slander I used not to long ago. He chuckles slightly as my face turns red,

"Yeah…um sorry about that…"

"It's fine; after the day you had it's understandable. Now you said you received a test back from a class; are you in college?"

"Yeah it's my second semester so I guess I'm still getting used to everything. Right now I'm just getting my core classes out of the way."

"Really what are you wanting to study?"

"Mythology." I say shyly. "I've always been interested in old folk tales and legends."

"That's an interesting field to go into."

"Yeah…although I'm not too sure of what I could do with a degree in mythology at the moment it's still something I'm wanting to do….maybe a museum."

"hee hee…are you interested in history as well?"

"I've never given it much thought but I guess I'd be willing to give it a shot."

"You said you take the subway to school; you don't live on campus?"

"Nope…I have my own apartment.

"So you live on your own?"

"I've been on my own for a long time now-oh…er…" _now he really has to keep his lips sealed. He's so easy to talk to…that just sort of slipped out…that's definitely something too personal…I don't want to ruin the fun either._ "S-sorry…um can we talk about something else…?"

"Sure…what kind of hobbies do you have?" _wow he didn't even try once to press the topic. He really is considerate to a person's feelings. I wonder what kind of person he is when he's not working? Is he just as nice as this or is their something deeper?_

…

after the long conversation we have Christopher walks we to the train station so I can make the last train for the night. Apparently he didn't feel comfortable leaving me alone to walk at night so now he's escorting me. as we enter the station I try to pay for my ticket but,

"I can get it." Christopher places a credit card on the counter,

"What but I can-"

"It's fine; don't worry." _Ugh…I wonder if anyone can argue against his smile…_ with my ticket in hand I'm about to pass through the gate, "Make sure you get home safely."

"Hey I am 20 years old here I'm not a child…"

"Well that may be but still I'd prefer it if you get home safely."

"Yeah sure…" _I can't believe he just casually gave me his cell number so I can call him when I get home…I don't even know if I should read into that or not…probably not, he's just being a gentle man._ "Oh yeah." I fumble through my backpack and pull out a neatly folded jacket. "Here I was hoping I would be able to give this back to you soon."

"I'm glad it helped you out that time."

"Hey I know I still have your handkerchief but do you mind if I hold onto it…I'd prefer not to give it back with my snot and everything on it."

"hehheh, you don't have to worry about that you know."

"I know but one kind gesture deserves another; besides I want to return the favor."

"Alright then…so long as you come back to talk to me from time to time."

"You mean back to the club…um well I'd have to save a bit for it but I can try to yeah…"

**Last call for the 11:15 heading downtown.**

"Ah that's my train." I smile at him, "Thanks for everything today…having someone listen to me did help."

"I'm glad to hear it." I pass through the gate and before heading down the stairs I wave one last time to Christopher. Making it onto my train in time I take a seat by a window. As it starts to move I think back on the events for today and find myself smiling.

_It was really a bad day today when you think about it…but now that I think about it…maybe today was good too. _From my pocket I produce the piece of paper Christopher gave me with his number on it.

"Yeah…today was a pretty good day."


	2. Chapter 2

**Birthday Surprise?!**

_Light _

_At first that's all I see; just a single star that gives off light. Soon more stars fade in as it eats away at the darkness surrounding me. The light starts to become unbearable and I have to cover my eyes. As soon as it fades I find myself in a field out in the middle of a endless body of water. All around me pink and white lotus flowers dance on the top of the water. Looking down I'm sitting on the only lily pad in the entire lake. _

"_What is this?" my clothes have changed as well. Somehow I'm wearing an elegant blue dress. As I look at myself in the reflection of the water my long brown hair that usually is just hanging over my shoulders is now in an up do with vines of blue pearls decorating it. "What happening?" the water ripples and a tall woman appears in the reflection replacing me. Startled I turn to see her standing on the lily pad with me. We only stare a t one another. Her blond hair wavy and curly drapes over her shoulders and seems to have no end to it's long length; her eyes like mine hold blues colored gems that seem to entrance. The white pearl vines that dress her hair match the color of her dress. It's a strange feeling yet I feel as if I know her but at the same time I don't. She smiles down at me with kind eyes as she holds out a hand to me. Without hesitation I slowly bring my hand up to place it in hers; once there she gently grips my hand. She opens her mouth ready to speak when suddenly…_

BEEEEEP BEEEEEEEP BEEEEEEP!

_Stupid alarm clock…_

I sit up in bed and realize I'm not alone. Something under the covers moves up and down as it breaths.

"Hey how long are you going to sleep huh?" the lump moves as I talk, "Wake up; come on now." Suddenly the lump sneezes causing the blanket to move; from the edge of the blanket fur peaks out from under it, "Pocky, come on get up boy." A small tail wags as he finds his way out from under the covers. Once he's out Pocky, with wild bed head scampers over into my lap. Still only three months old Pocky my Yorkshire terrier is still very small and unbelievably cute. His big round eyes could even melt the coldest of hearts in my opinion. He jumps up trying to climb on me to reach my face as he whines and slightly barks while I pet him. "Morning Pocky, looks like you slept well…more than what I did anyway." I stretch yawning away my dreams and thoughts of additional sleep. As I get out of bed Pocky jumps down clumsily making me thankful that the bed isn't to high off the ground. As I head into the bathroom he follows me like a mother duck and a baby chick still barking for me to pay attention. "I'll feed you in a second boy; let me get dressed first." Still he continues to follow me as I head into the bathroom to take a shower. As I wash myself clean I can hear Pocky having fun with my clothes as he plays around with them. Soon though he gets bored and starts pawing at the side of the tub; his whimpering pulls at my heartstrings as he tries to get my attention. "Alright, Alright I'm coming." finished with my shower I pull the curtain back and he starts going wild. This pretty much continues as I continue with getting ready for my classes for the day. Finally I'm able to quiet him down with some food.

"Ok lets see…no trash this morning to take care of; dishes look clean…ok Pocky I'm heading out now." As if he knows what I'm saying he paws at my feet whining and begging me not to go. I can't but pick him up and kiss him on the forehead and somehow he manages to lick me under my chin. I set him down and grab my things,

"It's a short day today so I'll be back soon." With that I'm out the door. Listening to my music I head for the train station leaving with enough time before the train leaves. On the way I stop by my favorite café and pick up some coffee and a pastry. I finish the pastry in no time flat and savor the coffee. Soon I reach the train station and head down the stairs. Since the incident of having no money came up last time I took the liberty of purchasing a pass so I don't have to pay every time for a ticket. As I head through the gate my text tone rings in my ears over my music. Looking at the text it's from Christopher.

"That's funny why's he texting me?" I had called him like I promised that day but ever since then neither of us has really contacted one another. For me it's because I've been trying to be respectful of the fact that he was possibly doing his job and nothing more not to mention I don't know when his hours are; that and I was just too nervous to even try. I've been going back to Club Sirius every now and then and every time Christopher is the one who serves me but it's usually light conversation and him asking me about college and what not. I would sometimes ask him a question but it was always just superficial questions and conversation between us. Looking closely I read the text,

_**You forgot you textbook the other day.**_Attached to the message is a picture of a small poetry book I need for one of my classes. Immediately I respond,

_**Oh so that's where it went…I didn't realize it fell out of my pack.**_

_**What time do you get out of classes today?**_

_**Around noon…I can come pick it up a little later.**_

There's no response after that making me think maybe he's working or something so I leave it at that. _Luckily I don't have poetry class today…_

My first class is very slow and I take the note in order to keep myself from falling asleep in the class. My next class doesn't go by as slow and I'm able to deliver the presentation with my partner pretty well. After my second class I have one more before noon and it's with a good friend of mine.

"Miri over here!"

"Hey Fuzzy." I wave to my high school friend and sit next to her, "Hey did you get the question to number 6 for the homework? I tried looking it up and every thing and couldn't get it." I pull out the homework we have to turn in today and point to the question.

"Yeah it was Pacific and northwest."

"Thanks…ugh I hate geography." Fuzzy is a thick boned girl with curly blond hair. She may seem big but it's really all muscle under there. Her brown eyes sparkle with so much spirit I sometimes envy her tenacity. She always dresses with style like a model: enough clothing to make a statement and enough make up to enhance her features.

"How's Pocky? I bet the poor little guy was in teas when you left."

"Kind of but I think he's getting better." We chat quietly until class starts and sit through the lecture. Once it's over I waste no time in getting out of the classroom with Fuzzy. Along the way Fuzzy's brother Dozzy meets up with us along with our twin duo Tom and Colin. They all have breaks right now while I get to head home.

"Aw…I'm so jealous."

"I know Colin…it's no fair that you get to leave before us." Tom and Colin are in sync as usual.

"Sorry that's just how it turned out when I planned my classes guys." I clasp my hands together apologetically.

"I know how you can make it up to us; you're birthday is coming up soon."

"Oh not this again Fuzzy…"

"C'mon you're going to turn 21 tomorrow; you'll be able to legally drink!"

"Hahaha, nice try but you all just want an excuse to go out and party and drink yourselves to sleep."

"I don't want to; it would be nice to have a party without drinking." Dozzy is usually so quiet but from time to time he'll voice his own opinion.

"See I agree with Dozzy; you all need a break from drinking so much booze!"

"BORING!" the twins chime simultaneously. "That's no fun; we want to know what king of drunk you are!"

"You just want to see how I act drunk? The same as when I lack sleep…crabby and annoyed all day long!" I protest. _Of course I've never dank alcohol before…so I really don't know._

"Fine we can just go dancing or something this weekend." Fuzzy says waving a hand. "Anyhow I have linguistics coming up so I'll see you later."

"Wait for me Fuzzy…"

"Don't you have your own class Dozzy?" _heheh people take one look a Dozzy and think he's a brute but underneath he's just a big softy that likes to follow his sister around._

"Oh yeah…Colin we have to go practice for our skit in theater class."

"Yeah your right we should get in some practice right now."

"Should we find a quiet are?"

"Yeah where no one will see us."

"Remember I play the doctor…"

"And I'm the patient…"

"If I didn't know the two of you I would have taken that whole conversation in the WRONG direction. Besides isn't that skit you two are doing supposed to be between a cancer patient who just got the news from his doctor that it's really bad or something…?" I ask with an uncomfortable look on my face.

"That's right we chose a scene from our favorite movie…" Tom explains, "I'm playing doctor Mayruma."

"And I'm playing the orphaned teen Tamaki; he's the one who just found out about his sister having a rare disease." Colin says.

"They have the conversation alone while the sister is waiting in the waiting room."

"Autumn Miracle…that movie is way depressing…how is that your favorite movie?" I ask. They suddenly hug each other and you can practically see hearts flying around them,

"Sibling love can conquer anything!"

"Again…if I didn't know the two of you I would have taken that the wrong way." I let out a sigh, "Well I have to go pick something up so…have fun with your acting or whatever."

"Bye bye Miri!"

"And remember try not to drink too much tomorrow!"

"Yeah, yeah…" I leave the two of them behind heading for the gates. I pull out my cell phone and pull up the conversation Christopher and I were having earlier. _He still hasn't replied…guess he's really busy right now. Should I text him to let him know I'm on my way to get my book? But then I might be interrupting him while he's at work…hmm if only there was a way I could know his hours so I'm not bothering him…_

my phone beeps at me as a text message comes in from Christopher.

_**Look up.**_

"Look up? What?" Following the order I look this way and that when I finally spot someone waving their arm in the air, "Wow…talk about good timing…" heading over to him he greets me with his usual kind smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to return your book."

"didn't you get my message?"

"I did but I thought it would be nice if I came instead for a change." He holds out my poetry book to me and I take it back placing it in my backpack. "You take your studies very seriously I saw all the side notes and highlights you placed in it."

"Yeah it's an easy class but I like to make sure that I go over things in detail."

'That's a good quality to have…now what about this one?"

"What one?" he holds a yellow sticky note up to me and it reads,

don't forget your birthday 3/14. It's not in my handwriting?

"Oh Fuzzy…!"

"Heheh so your friend snuck this in when you weren't looking."

"Seems like it…so are you on break or something? You're not wearing your host clothes."

"No I'm off for the day. The club is closed down for the day. Now don't try to change the subject."

"But I wasn't…" _crud well I was never good at anything like that._

"So are you done with your classes today?"

"Um…yeah."

"Then let's go." Christopher takes my hand and pulls me along,

"Ah h-hey wait where are we going?"

"Anywhere you want to."

" 'scuse me?"

"It's your birthday right so let's go."

"W-wait what?"

"You don't want to?"

"That's not the case…it just seems kind of sudden." _It's just a bit weird…he never even suggested anything like this. Not to mention we haven't talked all that much about anything outside of our usual topics at the club. So why is it that he all of a sudden wants to celebrate my birthday when we're still just…acquaintances? _"Hey do you mind if we stop by my place first…I don't want to take by back pack all over with me."

"That's fine."

…

"Pocky, I'm home!" Pocky hearing my voice comes yipping down the hall sliding clumsily on the wooden floor. Barking and jumping he tries to climb up my lag or at least get me to pick him up. I gladly do so ignoring the fact that Christopher is watching, "I told you I'd be back silly." Bringing his face closer to mine he licks my nose and anywhere else he can. Christopher laughs as the sight,

"How old is he?"

"Pocky's only about 3 months old. I just got him not too long ago." I set him down and immediately he heads over to Christopher. He bends down and pets the puppy.

"Why Pocky though?" I blush slightly at the question,

"No real reason…I just thought the name suited him is all." There's a long pause before he speaks,

"It's because you like Pocky isn't it?" the fact that he was able to hit the nail on the head so easily only makes me blush even more. Noticing my reaction he laughs even harder. He picks up my dog and pets him behind the ear, "it's a good name for him I think."

"I'm just going to go set my stuff down real quick then we can leave. Hey do you mind letting Pocky out? There's a leash out back that I hook him up too so he doesn't wander off."

"Sure." I head up to my room to set my back pack down and when I come back down Pocky is running around Christopher barking at him to play. Although Christopher doesn't move he doesn't seem to mind that Pocky is trying to get his attention. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah…but where are we going?"

"I think I have a place in mind." He gives a knowing smile,

"Which is…?" he places a finger to his lips

"That's a secret." I have no choice but to leave it alone as I follow him out of my apartment and back to the train station.

…

We've taken the train to a different part of town that I'm unfamiliar with and I'm still not sure as to where we're going.

"So…can you tell me yet?" I ask curiously.

"Nope not yet; we're almost there." _why can't he just tell me?_

"Ugh…I hate being left in the dark."

"hee hee, just hold out a little longer." Soon he finally stops and points to a very classy and professional looking building.

"A museum?"

"Since there are some pieces that are based on mythology I thought maybe you would be interested in it." I can't help but smile as I stare at the building.

_Actually ever since we talked about the possibility of me going into history as a field too I have been trying to find the time to look into it. _"Did I make the right choice?"

"Yeah actually, this gives me the perfect opportunity to try out history with mythology. Thanks Christopher." Heading inside there are a lot of different wings to check out and many sections as well. They seem to start off with art history in the center and many people walk around taking a look at the different pictures they have hanging up. Some of them are pretty interesting as I take my time looking at them. We move on into other exhibits being featured in the museum. I somehow take a personal interest in the foreign exhibits featuring pieces from different parts of the world. _Oh yeah I could definitely get into history if it means getting a better look at this stuff…_ I feel like a kid a Christmas as I look from case to case at the different foreign history objects. There's a gem from Egypt that really catches my eye as I pass by. It's placed in the center of an amazing gold necklace and very intricately made. As I look at the necklace in the reflection of the glass case I can see myself.

"It looks like it would suit you well." Christopher compliments.

"Psh…where would anyone wear a necklace like that? Besides I think this was passed down in royalty so I don't think I would qualify for something like that."

"Well how do you know unless you try?" I turn looking at his smiling face.

"Are you suggesting that we steal it?" I poke fun at him.

"Why would I suggest something like that?"

"No I'm just saying how you worded that…you made it sound like that." I snicker trying to hold back my laughter. "There's no way I would think you would steal anything." my eyes catch another room with a different exhibit. When I walk in there's different paintings and portraits of various people from history. By the paintings there's a bit of information like a bio summary for each of them. There's a few that I can make out, Shake Spear, Beethoven there's also some people from mythology as well. Hercules is the first I see along with other depictions of Greek and Roman mythology. There's some from here in japan as well, Ameterasu Nagi and then I stop at a large mural painting of a woman. Her long flowing blonde hair along with her blue eyes and the blue dress I recognize it right off. _That can't be…I dreamt about her just last night. But I'm sure of it it's the same person. _

"The Lady of Lycoris…" Christopher reads the title of the bi summary, "Not much is known about this mysterious woman; only that her beauty was only matched by her mystery… huh that's interesting."

"Yeah…we did a brief overview of her in my mythology class too." _It's so strange…I feel like I know her…but how why?_ My eyes catch something even more weird. On her chest where the neck of the dress dips down there is a red mark in the shape of the very flower that she is named for. _No way…! She has the same mark as me…in the exact same spot…_

"Miri?"

"huh…oh um sorry I spaced out there for a second."

"Are you ok you look a little pale."

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine…stupid classes must be getting to me." the room echoes with a grumbling sound and I'm frozen stiff.

"Pfft." _He heard it…damn it…_ "Are you hungry?"

"Y-yeah a bit…"

"When's the last time you ate?"

"Um…I haven't…" stares at me dumbfounded, "well I did grab a coffee and pastry at the café this morning but other than that I haven't really eaten anything." Christopher lets off a small sigh.

"You shouldn't do that to yourself Miri; that can cab very dangerous to someone like you." _Wait someone like me? what does that mean,_ "I mean it's not healthy to starve yourself like that, especially when you're time is taken up by things like college. If you have to bring something with you then do that."

"Yeah…sure." _Just now the way he said someone it almost felt as if there was a different meaning behind it; it wasn't as if he was trying to put me down or anything but…I don't know something different… it was definitely weird. _I set the though aside as we head out and stop by the bathroom first on the way out. For some reason finding that picture and what Christopher said to me suddenly made me dizzy. I take a moment to splash some water on my face hoping to calm down. once I've taken a minute to calm down I pull down the front of my shirt seeing the same mark that was on the Lady of Lycoris. _It's a strange coincidence I'll give it that…but I feel as if I know that lady…she was in my dream…come to think of it this past week I've been having the same dream over and over again. it seems to be happening more and more ever since I started going to the Club…ever since I met Christopher that night it's like this dream has been haunting me, not that it's a bad dream but does it have some sort of meaning? Last night though it was different. Instead of just staring at her she offered her hand and I took it…_ the marks suddenly pulses glowing slightly before fading,

"Ow…! W-what the hell?" I look in the mirror again as the pain passes but the mark is no longer glowing. "Was it my imagination?" as I head back out I'm still left with lingering thoughts about what just happened among other things.

…

Christopher takes me to a fancy posh place to eat and even requests a private room. There it's only the two of us in the small room.

"um Christopher I don't know if I'll be able to pay for this." he laughs slightly,

"Why do you always assume that I'm going to make you pay for something like this."

"It's not that I'm expecting it it's just that-"

And I'm the one that invited you out to celebrate your birthday so this is my treat."

"I somehow find it always being like that…"

"It's a man's job to take care of a woman."

"Is that you or the host training talking?" I snark.

"…I'm not a host right now Miri; I'm doing this because I want to." he smiles calmly but his tone and the gentle yet mysterious smile on his face sends a shiver down my body. His eyes seem to entrance me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Y-yeah shoot."

"Why haven't you called me at all or even tried to text me?" I nearly end up choking on my drink at his question.

"W-what do you mean?"

"I thought friends stayed in contact with one another; but you only talk to me when it's at the host club and nothing more…it almost feels like you're trying to keep it professional or something." _seriously that's what he thought? And here I was trying to be considerate. _

"I'm not trying to be professional…I was trying to be considerate…"

"Considerate?"

"Well yeah…I mean you walked me home but you gave me your number so that I could let you know I got home…we never really specified if we would stay in touch as friends or anything just that we would see each other at Club Sirius. I did think about it a couple of times but then again I wasn't sure if I would be interrupting you at work or with a customer so I just kept quiet. Sorry I didn't mean to come off like I didn't want to be friends." He laughs, "w-what?"

"No nothing, I'm also at fault too. I should have tried contacting you myself."

"So why is it so funny?"

"Because the look on your face just now was really cute." I say nothing in response only take a sip of my drink.

"My turn to ask you a question." I say,

"Alright."

"Do you want to be friends, is that why you came out to my college today…and why you snuck my text book?" his eyes widen slightly before he smiles,

"Ah so you figured me out?"

"It took me a minute but I remember putting everything back in my pack before I left the other day."

"Sorry I needed a reason to talk to you…"

"Cell phone…just saying."

"You're one to talk…" our conversation continues in a more friendly manner now that I don't feel like I'm walking on eggshells at least in the sense that I now understand things better. Soon after our food arrives and after we eat our conversation continues.

"So why are you a Host Christopher? I mean I'm not judging or anything but I've always been kind of curious."

"It's a bit complicated…let's just say it's something we all were willing to do."

"We?"

"The others, we're the only ones that work there. We all agreed to do it; it just became something we wanted to do along the way."

"So you all just conveniently agreed to be hosts and open up Club Sirius?" I smirk. Christopher takes a sip of his drink calmly, obviously not intimidated by my question,

"Yes, call it a common interest we had." _I somehow feel like there's something more but I'll leave it at that._

"You certainly have an interest in myths though…"

"Huh?"

"Earlier back at the museum; the painting of the Lady of Lycoris; you seemed to be rather taken with it." _crap so he did see that…_ "Was it the art work?"

"Sort of, I guess I thought she looked familiar for some reason."

"Familiar? How so?" _his tone just changed…why is he so serious all of a sudden?_

"I kind of dreamt about her but we just had the lecture about her that day so that's probably why." I try to play it off but he only stares at me. "What?"

"You know Miri; there's modern legends and myths too."

"Yeah I know…you're talking about like ghost stories and things like that right? We're just now starting that topic."

"Mmm…well you could call them ghost stories yes but many believe those stories are actually real." _Hang on…oh this is too priceless! _

"Don't tell me…do you actually believe those stories Christopher?!" I reach out to poke his cheek but he gently yet firmly takes hold of my hand holding onto my fingers,

"I guess you could say I somewhat do…" the smile he has on is not as kind but it's not that it's mean or evil either it's like he's being more seductive or something. he kisses my hand before ghosting his lips over each of my fingers, "I guess you could say that I've had encounters with them before; although I don't have any proof." _w-wait when did his face get so close…? My heart is going crazy right now…If this is a joke I don't like it…_ I'm about to say as much when he forces me down on the sofa locking my hands in place above my head with one hand. I want to move but the mesmerizing look in his eyes has me frozen stiff; he smirks down at me a bit impishly revealing an unusual side of him I haven't seen before. "There's a rumor about the Lady of Lycoris; it's said that she was a mysterious monster herself…a creature of beauty and one to be feared." His eyes narrow as his other hand reaches for my shirt. Hooking a finger around the hem of the neckline he pulls down,

"S-stop!" I finally shout nearly about to kick him when he smiles down at me like usual,

"So I was right you have a birthmark here." He pokes the lycoris mark on my chest before he gets up." realizing he was pulling my leg I sit up and punch his shoulder, "Ouch…*snicker*."

"Damn it Christopher that wasn't funny; you nearly gave me a heart attack!" _good it looks like he's back to his old self…what the heck was that though? _

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean it seriously." He raises his hands up as if he surrenders and slightly playfully I swing another punch at him so that he can catch it.

"I didn't even know you had such a…you know I want to say mean streak but I'm not sure if that falls under mean or just down right mischievous."

"I'm sorry…I was just teasing you a bit."

"That was way beyond teasing…" we continue our conversation from where is left off. I put on a smile and act like nothing happened but I can't seem to stop thinking about what just happened. _Was that just a joke…or is there a side like that to Christopher…? Either way…it was very surprising. _

…

_In the darkness the darkness a small flower blooms glowing brighter and brighter until the flower blooms. The light is so bright and powerful…I feel so strange. A shadowed figure comes into view as she looks at me,_

"_You have finally awakened my child…use your powers well and protect those that would be harmed by our enemies…that is your duty now…Mirithela…" the voice and everything fades and I wake up finding myself in my room. _

My whole body feels weak and it trembles at this unusual feeling. I take a shaky hand and feel my heart beating in my chest,

"W-why is my heart trembling so…what's happening to me?"

…

It's my birthday today and I'm sitting in my last class very antsy to get out for the day. I've made plans to go to Club Sirius to eat something sweet. Christopher suggested I come by and eat the mint chocolate chip cake today so I've decided to take him up on that offer; then after words Fuzzy and the others and I are going to be up all night celebrating our own way. Finally the class ends and I make my way out of the classroom. I hurry onto the club and when I open the door it's as busy as always. Morgan the owner is free for once and he's there to greet me,

"Hey Miri! Christopher said you would be coming today." He seems to be the oldest out of all the others here and it's easy to see that he has experience. His hair is combed neatly in place and even though he has a gotee he seems to somehow pill it off. Again even as I look into his eyes he has the same common trait that the others have; that unusual maturity that resonates with his brown pools for eyes.

"Hey…"

"By the way Happy Birthday."

"Oh he told you…"

"Well I kind of forced it out of him so it's not his fault." Behind him I find Christopher talking with a woman much more mature and classy looking than any girl I've seen in here. They don't seem to be having a very good conversation at that. _I've never seen him look so uninterested…or maybe cold is the better word. He's always had a smile on his face but now there's no indication of one even showing up any time soon._

"He's trying to explain that we only provide a certain kind of service…not the kind she's wanting." Morgan explains.

"Come again?" he looks at me with a knowing grin,

"Some host clubs do deals under the table…if you know what I mean. We don't provide that kind of service."

"You mean…she wanted him to go to a love hotel…?"

"Well if you want to be blunt about it…"

"You'll regret rejecting me you idiot!" she shouts before storming towards the door. I start walking over to the buffet table to choose my cake waiting until the woman leaves before going over to Christopher but for some strange reason she stops in her tracks noticing me. "You!" she shouts as she makes her way over to me. "I've seen you with Christopher a couple of time when I came in here; it's because of you isn't it!?"

"I'm sorry…? What are you talking about?" _seriously…what is she talking about?_

"Don't you play dumb you TRAMP!"

"H-Hey!" she takes a fist full of my pulling on it, "What the hell?!" _I can't fight back…! If I fight back she won't give up!_

"You're the reason why Christopher won't look at me!" she pulls on my hair forcing me to stumble forward, someone's there to catch me though before I fall. When I look up it's Christopher. He gives her an icy cold glare,

"I don't mind if you have a problem with me; but leave other customers out of it…now I told you to get out…do so before I have to make you myself." he doesn't shout he only glares at her and speaks to her in an ice cold tone. She waits for a few but finally with gritted teeth she storms out of the club. Everyone is able to finally breathe as the tense atmosphere disperses. The other hosts are able to make to girls forget what just happened as they continue to serve them.

"Are you alright Miri?"

"Remind me not to get on your bad side…" I say staring at the door.

"I'm sorry you had to see that…she was one of those customers who wouldn't leave well enough alone."

"I see." _Good his usual smile is back…_

"I think I know what you're here for." He pokes my cheek as he teases me. He guides me over to our table and leaves me to fetch the cake and some tea. When he comes back I waste no time in biting into the cake. "Hey so how come you wanted me to come earlier today?" I remember that he's the one that suggested I come straight after classes which ended at 4.

"We're closing early today; so I wanted to make sure you got your cake before we did." He hands me the cup of tea and I take a sip.

"Why are you guys closing so early?"

"Well we don't like to spend all of our time here working."

"Guess that's fair." Suddenly he pets my head,

"Are you sure you're alright?" Christopher asks looking concerned,

"I'm fine; I think I can handle a little hair pulling Christopher." I take another bite of my cake enjoying it. "I think this is my new favorite kind of cake…I can't believe Nathan actually bakes all the sweets here."

"Yes well he does believe it or not….so what are your plans for the night? I guess it's lucky that it's Friday and you have all weekend to celebrate your new age."

"My friends keep pushing me to go clubbing with them…apparently they want to see what kind of drunk I am." Christopher laughs,

"That actually would be funny to see…I wonder." We continue to talk as time flies by until it's time for them to close. Before leaving I stop by the bathroom first and head out. On my way out I check my phone for the time.

"Wow…8:00. Good thing they closed early I promised to meet everyone at my place by 10. This gives me enough time to get home and changed." Thinking things through I reach into my bag to retrieve my bus pass but it's not there. _Shoot did I drop it somewhere? oh right I remember now…I took it out in the bathroom before leaving. Damn it…ok hopefully they'll let me back in so I can get it. _

Heading back I run to the club and find that even the sign is turned off,

"Please let them still be here…" I knock on the door and luckily Thomas comes to the door.

"Miss Miri, is something wrong?"

"No it's not an emergency but I accidentally left my bus pass in the bath room and I kinda need it to get back home…I promise I will be in and out in a flash." I clasp my hands together pleadingly.

"Thomas why do you have the door open?"

"oh Nathan, It's Miss Miri she forgot her bus pass. She says it's in the bath room."

"I promise I'll be really quick to get it but I need it to get home." Nathan stays silent for a moment before he gestures for me to come in,

"Be quick about it."

"Thank you." I bow as I head in and quickly retrieve my bus pass. Once I have it I head back out to the lobby but neither Thomas or Nathan is here. " well I'll need to thank them again when I come back."

"Don't you walk a way from me!" _uh-oh!_ I hide quickly behind a pillar hoping no one will see me. "We're not done talking Christopher." _Wow…she really doesn't know when to quit._

"You may not be but I am…I told you already you harlot I want nothing to do with you…" _harlot…is that even the same Christopher?_

"Give me a reason why! I give you good service just by coming here; the least you could do is humor me!"

"You want a reason, heh you're attitude right now is reason enough. Besides if you have so much money to begin with I see no reason as to why you can't hire someone else to help you with your problem. I don't need the head ache."

"Is it because of that girl? The one I saw today."

"That doesn't concern you…what goes on between me and her or any of my other clients is none of your business."

"I could just outright buy this place." _Is she trying to blackmail him?! what the hell!_ "With my connections I can easily find a way of turning your boss's precious little club into rubble." She sounds so arrogant I'm having a hard time staying quiet.

"Is that supposed to be a threat? You really are a not worth my time…"

"It's no threat…either you give me what I want or I take this place…and who knows maybe I'll even make an accident happen to the little girl…"

"…!" _she's using me against him too…this is bad…good thing I decided to record this conversation…_ "Fine then…" _Say what?! _ "We're not doing this in here…we'll go out back in the ally."

"Fine…just so long as you put your heart into it, we could do it out in the open for all I care…"

"You really do have no class taste for someone how dresses the part… or shame for that matter…" he sounds so uninterested and annoyed…

"I'm a business woman I have to dress the part. But I'm not afraid to go after what I want… and I always get what I want Christopher. One way or another." She cackles. There's a rustle before I hear movement,

"Follow me…" Christopher says before leaving with the woman. Once their gone I leave out the front hoping to stop this from happening. In the nearby ally way about a block away I can hear the soft moans of a woman. Checking to see if it's them I peek out the corner and find Christopher in the middle of feeling her up. _He doesn't want to do this…you can clearly see it on his face…I got to stop this some how._ They continue their foreplay as she forces him to kiss her forcing her tongue into his mouth. He pulls down her unbuttoned shirt revealing her bare skin. _I have to stop this! Now before it goes too far!_ I pull up the audio and I'm about to press the play button when I freeze. Christopher pulls back her hair away from her neck all the while she's unaware of what I see. His usually kind eyes now glow as if they've changed to a glowing ember and seem catlike. While he distracts her with one hand caressing her hack he opens his mouth to reveal sharp elongated canines: fangs. He bites into her neck leaving no time for the woman to react. Blood streams down from her neck as he drinks. She tries to struggle and break free but his grip on her tightens making it impossible for her to escape. Soon her struggles stop and her arms go limp. He finally releases her as her body falls to the floor. The corners of his mouth and his chin are dripping with blood. He licks up what he can before he wipes the rest off. He sighs as if he doesn't like what just happened,

"You brought this on yourself…but at least you'll forget what happened today…" I turn away from the sight my back pressed against the wall. My body shakes and shivers as I try to grasp what just happened.

_No way…he just…bit her…_

"Christopher, what's going on?" for some strange reason I hear Morgan

"Sorry, she didn't really leave me any choice." There's a moment of silence,

"Is she dead?"

"No but at least she won't remember anything today."

"So…"

"She threatened the club among other things…she tried to blackmail but it backfired on her."

"I see…no one else was around right?"

"No, that's why I came out here."

"Good then lets take care of here before she wakes up…" I hear them pick the woman up before leaving. Scared and relieved that they didn't find me I collapse to the floor. _I don't believe it…I can't believe it…! _

only one word is able to make its way out of my mouth,

"Vam…pire…vampire…"

**RxR please! Let me know what you think ^^**


	3. Chapter 3

**LOL ok um…I got a message that someone thinks this is a crossover between another otome game…I just want to clear something up about that. Yeah I did not do a cross over with another game in any way…I actually got this idea from a side story in Pirates in love…it's the story where they open a temp. host club. I just wanted to clear that up so there wasn't any confusion about that and I'm sorry if I did make it seem like a cross over that was not my intention. ok back to the story.**

…

**Lady of the Lycoris **

I couldn't go out after seeing that. I had to cancel my plans yesterday with Fuzzy and the others. I couldn't think straight; hell I couldn't even talk on the phone. It's hard to wrap my head around the idea that Christopher is a vampire and that possibly all the hosts know as well. I felt dizzy when I walked home I don't even remember half of the trip on the train or walk home. As I sit on my bed still in my pajamas Pocky now sits in my lap falling asleep as I pet him lightly. I stare out the window as I hold a pocky stick in between my fingers as if it was a cigarette as I slowly puff on a real one. I hardly ever smoke; only severely stressful situations such as this push me to it. It's not something I make a habit out of. I'm still finding it hard to wrap my head around the events that played out before me last night.

_What the hell…! I didn't even think something like that existed. _I switch the cig out for a the pocky as I chomp on it; once I swallow I take a long puff and the smoke leaves in a puff to float up to the ceiling. _I clearly saw something I shouldn't have…he was a completely different person when he was alone with her, not anything like the Christopher I'm used to seeing. There was that one time he pushed me down but he said that was a joke…what am I supposed to do? What do I even say to him when I see him?_ I take another long puff still brooding my options when my cell phone rings. Careful not to wake up Pocky I reach over and grab my phone. It's a text from Christopher.

_**How was last night?**_ _That's right I told him I was going out with the others…but right now I don't even know what to think of him. is he a monster hiding behind a mask or a kindhearted, misunderstood person? Either way I don't know if I should be around him right now. _Another text suddenly comes in, _**did anything interesting happen. **_

_He's persistent I'll give him that…_

Unable to think of anything I set my phone down leaving his messages to go unanswered left with only my thoughts again. _He just…bit her…there wasn't even any warning…does he do that with all his bite victims? Ugh…why is this so confusing. He hasn't really given me any reason to not trust him…is there a reason why he wouldn't tell me? Well…at least this explains what he meant when he said he had experiences with monsters…he IS one. That's another thing, how long has Morgan known about him? Do the others know? …I can't just keep sitting here brooding over this on my own. I need to find out from him…I need to come clean and tell him I saw. Yeah right how exactly do I tell him that I saw him bite a person? "Hey Christopher I need to talk to you about something; the other day I eavesdropped on your conversation with that woman and followed you to the ally where I saw you TAKE HER BLOOD! Hope you don't mind telling me what that's all about." …yeah that's not going to go over well. We both sort of betrayed the others trust…he kept secrets and I invaded his privacy… _Something passes out of the corner of my eye in the window forcing me to look out the window. Something in the back of my head seems to be telling me to run, to get away. My heart thumps in my chest as I stare out the window when suddenly,

*Knock, Knock*

Pocky immediately reacts by shooting his head up barking and yapping from my lap. He jumps down and runs to the door.

"Pocky, hold on!" I put out my cigarette and head for the door. This time the person rings the doorbell as I walk cautiously into the living room. Standing my the sofa I try to decide whether I should open the door or not. I'm not sure what it is that I saw out my window but I didn't get a good look at it; thinking it's the same person at the door I wait to see what happens, but the feeling I had moments ago is gone so instead I walk to look through the peephole. My whole body jolts away from the door at who I see.

"Miri are you in there?" _What is Christopher doing here? I never replied to his texts. _"Miri?"

"Y-yeah…just a second." I race up to my room to put on some pants since I was sleeping in only a shirt and my underwear before heading back down. My heart is racing as I replay the events of last night. As I place my hands on the door chain and the lock I take a breath to calm myself. the lock and chain clink and clack as I unlock the door. _Just don't freak out…_

With that last mental thought I open the door and greet him. Pocky bounds out the door to greet him, barking and yipping, begging to be picked up. Christopher complies unable to resist and allows Pocky to snuggle against his cheek.

"I think he got cuter since I last saw him…"

"You mean the day before yesterday…?" I try to play it cool.

"I guess; you look like you just got out of bed."

"I…kinda sorta did." _I guess it would seem weird if I don't let him in…_ I step aside and gesture for him to come in. he sets Pocky down which only seems to rile him up. "Pocky…Shush."

"So did you just get out of bed?"

"Huh?"

"You never replied to my text messages."

"Sorry I didn't see it…" his eyes narrow as if he senses something._ Crap…can he tell I'm lying?_ "What is it?"

"Did you burn something?"

"Burn something…?"

"I smell smoke." _Oh I get it he smells the cigarette…I forgot I just put it out._

"Um…yeah sorry that's my fault; I just finished a cigarette." His eyes widen as he stares at me stunned,

"You smoke?"

"N-not very often…I only had one."

"Those aren't very good for your health…"

"Like I said I only had one…besides I only go to those as a last resort I try not to make a habit out of smoking."

"Is it really that simple?" Christopher laughs slightly.

"My last one was when I was having a difficult time with adjusting to college life. That was last year during my very first semester."_ Why are we even talking about my health habits…this isn't exactly what I thought he would talk to me about._ "So…what are you doing here? Don't you have work today?"

"I don't have to go in until later this afternoon." He studies me for a moment, "Did something happen?"

"Huh…?"

"You said you don't usually smoke so…I can only assume something happened that made you turn to that." I can't seem to say anything to his suggestion. _He's not wrong but how do I even get out of telling him? _

"You…could say that I guess."

"I knew it…that look on your face says it all." Christopher give me a gently smile. _I don't know whether or not if I can trust him or not. I mean what I saw last night his whole personality did a 180…and now it's like that side of him doesn't even exist._ "Miri?" _I just need to come clean and tell him…it would be better than trying to hide it. but how do I even bring it up?_

"H-hey um…the other day do you remember the conversation we had about…believing in ghost stories and what not?"

"Hm…?"

"H-how serious were you about that?"

"I was half joking when I said all that; you don't have to take me seriously about that. Everyone has their own belief about things like that."

"Even about vampires…?" I ask very boldly looking at him from the side. He seems a bit taken aback by my question unable to say anything. "Are you…hiding anything Christopher?" the air is very thick and tense as I press him further. His expression is blank and I can't seem to tell anything from the look in his eyes. _I just need to outright ask him…then tell him what I saw…I need to know what's going on._ "Are you-"

*KNOCK KNOCK!*

Someone nearly busts my door down as they knock with all their might. I say nothing at first and the person bangs on my door again. Clearly I can tell it's not my landlord and I'm not expecting anything else. Obviously they're not going away so I head over to the door. I'm about to pull the handle down when Christopher grabs my wrist. He has a serious look on his face as he places a finger to his lips gesturing for me to stay silent. Slowly I nod as the unknown person outside once again bangs on my door. I would be fine with answering it but even Pocky isn't barking instead he's cowering and shivering by my feet his floppy ears folded down as he tries to get as close as possible. Quietly I bend down and pick him up holding close as he tries to climb on my shoulder to hide even more. Christopher walks over to the nearby window and looks without moving the curtain. After a few seconds, footsteps fade away as the person leaves. Finally able to breathe I let out the breath I was holding.

"He's gone." Christopher says patting my head, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah I guess…who was it? Did you get a good look at them?"

"No I didn't." _he's still staring out the window…and what's with that look on his face? I don't even know any more…not like I need anything else to worry about…guess I should finish that cigarette I still can't seem to think._

"I'll be right back…if you want help yourself to what's in the fridge…something tells me you're going to want to stay here for a bit before leaving." I set Pocky down and head back to my room grabbing my half finish cigarette. Grabbing my lighter I place the cig in my mouth and while walking back into the living room I try to get the lighter going. Only thing I seem to get is a few sparks each time, "Damn thing…" I mutter irritated by my situation; finally my lighter cooperates and ignites a small fire. Taking in a deep breath I watch the end of the cigarette glow back to life before setting down the lighter. placing it between my fingers I let off a puff of smoke.

"Is it classes or something else?" I hear Christopher ask me from the kitchen across the way. There's a relaxed look on his face but no smile as he stares at me placing the cigarette back in my mouth.

"…kind of both I guess you could say… more so the second than the first…" I say honestly. I plop down on my sofa still in view of the kitchen and slouch in the cushions. Footsteps follow me over and Christopher stands towering above me, scrunching my legs up I give him space to sit down and he does so quietly. I study him out of the corner of my eye as I continue to let the smoke drift from the light cigarette. He doesn't seem to notice that I'm studying him while he studies me. I notice him stare at my chest and he gets a serious look on his face. I take hold of the cigarette in my hands and sigh,

"Pervert…" I slightly glare at him as he looks at me with an innocent yet confused look on his face,

"I'm sorry?"

"I didn't think you liked staring at a girl's chest for so long…" I say puffing on the cigarette again. he laughs slightly

"Alright one," he reaches over and takes the cigarette from my mouth and puts it out in the bowl sitting on the small coffee table. "Those aren't healthy; they're only good for bad health. And two, I wasn't staring at your chest I was looking at the mark."

"Um…same place…" _Natural womanizer…and he doesn't even know he does it._ _Still it is weird that I have the same mark as the woman in that painting…_"Actually…I've been kind of wondering ever since we saw that painting…is there some sort of meaning behind it? just who is she?"

"Well…" he takes a moment to gather his thoughts, "it doesn't really have any meaning only that it's supposedly the mark of the Lady of Lycoris." _The mark…?_ "It's said that those who bare that mark are her descendants, her direct descendants."

"So do you know anything about her?" there's a long silence. "Well there are a few suggestions as to who she was but none have ever been proven."

" you're the one who said that she was some sort of creature…remember?"

"I did say that but it's just a suggestion that many commonly use to describe her."

"You must believe it since you said it." I say picking up Pocky who's begging to be let up on the couch. He takes a good moment or two trying to pick who to go to when Pocky heads over to Christopher and lays next to him.

"Why are you so interested all of a sudden?"

"Call it a weakness I am studying mythology…" he studies me for a moment before Christopher continues.

"it was said she was born of nobility although no one knows if that's true. They said she had amazing powers that wherever she walked flowers were left in her wake particularly Lycoris. That's how she got her name. She could see things though that others couldn't a different world."

"A different world…is this where the ghost stories and everything come into play?"

"That's right. However since she had her powers that was a given. It was thought that she belonged in that hidden world herself. She was one herself."

"What was she?"

"many say she was one thing or another; I like to believe that she was a vampire." My body sort of tenses at the word and I have a hard time controlling myself from jump out of my seat.

"W-why do you say that?"

"Why indeed?" he says mysteriously as I see the shift in his eyes. The unusual Christopher that I saw the other night makes his appearance as he leans over me. His narrowed eyes hold me in place as he looms over me. He keeps himself propped up by using the arm of the couch that's behind me. I swallow hard not sure as to what he's up to, "You know vampires don't age; they say that she was over a millennium in age yet she never aged a day in her life." _then how old does that make him…? _ he places a hand over my heart, "Your hearts pounding…are you really that excited about this story?" his face comes closer, "now it's my turn to ask you a question Miri. You said you had a dream about the Lady of Lycoris, what was it about?" his hand moves to the center of my chest where the mark is and for some strange reason it sends electricity through my body. "it said that she doesn't communicate with anyone but her relatives. You have the same mark as her I I'm wondering what it means."

"N-nothing…" I look away, "I told you it's just a tattoo."

"Liar…" his hot breath tingles on my neck, "you said it was a birth mark." _Does he plan on biting me?! Is he going to do the same thing like he did to her?! I-I have to think of something…anything! _

"Yeek!" something crawls up my body and onto my chest; Pocky then pounces onto Christophers face and licks him. "P-Pocky…?" at the sound of his name he turns around and starts giving me the same treatment.

"Hehehe, I guess he got jealous being left out of the conversation." Still left in a daze Pocky continues licking my cheek while pawing at my face; Christopher's phone rings and he answers. All I can do is watch him as he talks on the phone. _How can he switch personalities like that? For a second there I didn't know who was the real one. Just who is he…and what does he know that he isn't letting me in on? _Christopher ends his call and stands, "Sorry I have to get going."

"Work?"

"Yes they need me to come in earlier; apparently they got a rush of customers and now they're short handed." I stand walking him to the door as he opens it he turns back to me with a serious look, "if that person comes back call me immediately and don't open the door unless you know who it is."

"I know MOM…jeeze I can take care of my self. I'll lock the door as soon as you leave."

"Good." He ruffles my hair before pushing my bangs up and kissing my forehead, "Don't smoke anymore either…it doesn't suit you at all." With that as his final words he leaves and I lock the door behind him. For some strange reason I let out a breath that I had been holding since he got here falling to the ground.

"Just who are you Christopher…?" on the floor something catches my eye and I pick it up, "A…red Lycoris?"

**not the most action packed chapter but I still hoped you liked it. RXR please.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Somebody Watching Me**

Classes have been distracting me from my thoughts of Christopher along with homework; I even still make regular visits to the Cub Sirius. I'm able to put on a façade and make small talk with him; looking at him when he sits there it's like none of the stuff happened that day. I know eventually I'll have to ask him but for the time being I think waiting for him to say something would be better. Lately though I've been feeling as if somebody is watching me. I would think it was Christopher but I always have the same feeling: my blood going cold, the feeling of a chill racing up and down my spine and my body shaking from fear. It's someone else. _I wonder if it was that one guy who came banging on my apartment door that day. Christopher said he didn't get a good look but still it's a possibility. _

"Hey Miri!" I look up at how calls me, "hey come on let's go grab a bite to eat." Fuzzy leaves no room for me to argue as she drags me along off campus. _I've also noticed another thing too. My skin…it's like my body is producing some sort of sweet scent. It's very subtle but it's still there; luckily my perfume seems to hide it but it still is there. Things have…been getting really weird lately. I don't remember ever having so many problems like this my entire life._ "Hey Miri how about here?" I look up at the sign

"Timber Veiw Café…yeah I could go for some coffee."

"Not to mention it's nice out today the sun is shining, there's not a cloud in the sky."

"Pft, leave it to Fuzzy to notice the obvious."

"C'mon lets sit over there." dragging me along again we find a seat outside and sit. The waiter brings us some menus and we take our orders. as we wait for our food we chat about small topics and school. To be honest I like the fact that I can have a normal conversation with her at the moment; I don't feel like I have to think so much about all my problems for the time being. However soon the sensation I've been feeling lately the chills and everything come back. _There it is again…someone is watching me._

"…!" I ball my fists under the table as I hear Fuzzy say something to me.

"Y-Yeah…"

"…?" _where is it coming from? I can't look around; that will let them know I'm onto them…my heart is racing so much it feels like it's going to explode. It's getting stringer…they're…they're getting closer…! Someone…help me_!_ help please…I…I don't want this…help me…Christopher!_

"Hey Miri I didn't expect to see you out here." _That voice…!_ Half stunned I look up at the person calling me, "You look like you've seen a ghost with that look on your face." His kind smile and his deep entrancing eyes make me feel relieved and the sensation that someone was closing in on me is gone. My entire body seems to relax as I find myself at a loss for words.

"Miri, who's this guy? You know him?" Fuzzy asks although for some reason she sounds a bit uninterested.

"Oh um…Fuzzy this is Christopher; Christopher this is my best friend Fuzzy. She and I went to high school together."

"Hi there…" Christopher's polite as he would be to a client but for some reason his eyes seem a bit cold.

"hey…" _ok…? Is there something I'm not getting here? They just met each other, why do they act like they have some history. Either way they seem to be acting right now. _The waiter brings out our food and I waste not time in taking a bite out of my sandwich.

"Do you have work right now or are you just out walking around right now?" I ask Christopher,

"I have some time."

"Why don't you stick around for a while then. It would be better than walking around alone." I say inviting him to sit. "You mind Fuzzy?"

"Free Country…he can do what he wants." I notice the attitude and glance at her for a second but ignore her for the time being.

"Alright then I guess I'll stay for a bit." Christopher sits down and orders something to drink. "How are classes going? I don't think I ask you the last time you came to visit."

"They're going ok; Fuzzy and I got a stroke of luck with both or classes getting canceled for the day so we figured we get a bite to eat. Well actually she dragged me off."

"I see…so Fuzzy what is it that you're studying."

"Translator…I'm in the middle of studying various languages and a linguistics class…what about you?"

"I'm sorry?"

"How did you meet Miri?" she asks pointedly. _She hasn't even taken a bite of her food…that's not like her._

"Oh I met her when she was having a bad day…she needed some help so I helped."

"That's putting it mildly…" I say after taking a drink of coffee.

"I see and you do what exactly?" I nudge her leg under the table as a warning getting her attention and I slightly glare at her.

"I…work at a club."

"Dance, night, social?"

"…Host…"

"Oh a host how nice…you must give girls a lot of attention flirting and waiting on them."

"Fuzzy…!" she and I look at each other and start having a silent conversation gesturing to one another with me telling her to shut up.

"So…Christopher um…what's new with you? Everything going ok?" I try to pick up the conversation again and get it back on track but the air around us is so thick and tense I can't seem to get his attention.

"…Nothing really…" he finally answers,

"By the way Miri, is he the reason why you canceled?"

"Excuse me?" I ask confused,

"You texted me saying that something came up that night…were you seeing him?"

"W-what…?" it suddenly dawns on me what she means, "The hell- NO! That's not what we were doing; yes I saw him that day but it was way before our meet up time! Something else came up and-"

"I think I better go." Christopher takes one last sip of his drink before standing, "It's a bit too cold around here for my taste. I'll see you later Miri." He waves with a smile before waling off.

"Christopher…!" I glare over at my friend pissed that she would even THINK something like that and on top of her words from earlier I've had enough, "Nice…" I say before picking up my bag and leaving to find him. He must have moved quickly because I even followed him in the same direction I can't seem to find him. The crowd around me only seems to grow as I continue to look for him. Thinking it useless to search like this I pull out my cell phone. As I dial his number there's a long moment of nothing but ringing. Unfortunately I don't reach him; next I try texting him.

_**Hey can you pick up your phone?**_ Even though I text him he doesn't seem to text back. _Is he in a loud place or is it on silence? There's also the possibility that he just doesn't want to talk. Damn it Fuzzy what the hell is wrong with you? …come to think of it why am I trying so hard to find him? I still don't really know what to think of him not to mention he's a vampire…he could just be trying to get close to me for a different reason. But if that were the case wouldn't he have just done something by now? I don't think he wants to hurt me but then he's got that thing about him his little personality switch. I'm not sure what to think of that. He's not really a bad person but there are things that I still don't know about him. _Suddenly my phone rings in my hand and I answer without looking at the caller,

"Yeah Miri here…"

"_Hey you called me?"_

"Christopher…yeah I did…where are you?"

"_I'm at the train station now." He must be heading to work… "is something wrong?"_

"No nothing's wrong…listen about Fuzzy, I don't know what got into her she's not usually like that. I'm sorry about her copping an attitude with you like that."

"_Don't worry about it; it's not your fault."_ He sounds like it doesn't really bother him, but I can't help but think differently.

"You sure it doesn't bother you…?" I can't help but ask.

"_Well…I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel uncomfortable but I've gotten used to people like that. In my line of work you come across people who think differently both men and women alike. Sometimes they think you're ok, then there's times they think less of you. It's just better to not allow what they say to get the better of you." _

"Well that's a load of crap." I say feeling irritated, for some reason it makes him laugh,

"_And why do you say that?"_

"Because people only say things like that because don't know you right? How can they make those kind of assumptions without even getting to know you first…or anyone for that matter." There's along silence with him not saying anything, "for the record…" I continue, "I know that we've only know each other for a little bit so I probably can't say much but I don't think any less of you just because you're a host."

"_Miri…" _there's a long silence before he starts laughing, _"I didn't think you were the sentimental kind."_

"H-hey I am trying to be nice here!" I may sound mad but my face feels hot. "hey do you have any free time coming up?"

"_Hm? I still have some time right now, why?" I just need to tell him that I know about him…no matter how he takes it in the end it might be better than not telling him. _

"I just need to talk to you about something…mind if I meet you at the station?"

"_Don't you have homework or something you need to do?"_

"I have a free day tomorrow and I'm a night owl besides it's only 2 in the afternoon…if I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to get rid of me."

"_Of course not; I'd never do that." _I laugh at the silliness of our conversation as I start to walk on when someone grabs hold of my arm roughly and pulls me back.

"Hey!" they take hold of me binging an arm around my neck while keeping me pinned with the other. "Get off me! Get off! Christopher Help!" another person comes from behind and places a hand over my mouth, something sweet and sickening fills my nostrils and I suddenly start to feel light headed. I can still make out Christophers voice on the phone faintly as he calls out for me. the man in front reaches down and takes my phone and places it to his ear,

"The girl is ours vampire…" _wait they…they know that…Christopher…Christopher…_ my consciousness starts to fade as I hear the man still talking, "We will take the Lady of Lycoris…." _Lady of Lycoris…wait they want…me? someone help…Christopher…_ Soon my eyes close and all I'm able to make out before everything goes completely black is one phrase from the man, "devour her."

**well I know it's a short chapter but this all the time I had for this time. Next chapter will hopefully be longer. RxR please. It helps me to know what you guys think.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Taking it to the Sky**

_Where am I? ouch…my head is pounding. Urgh...! my stomach…!_ I somehow manage to lift my head up and heave my lunch. _What the heck is going on? wait…that's right I was talking to Christopher on the phone and then…wait that's right! _Finally remembering what happened I sit up in a hurry trying to open my eyes. But even though I do I still find myself in darkness. My eyes are covered my something my hands are bound as well. Realizing the situation I'm in I try to frantically free myself when I hear the sound of a door open and close. Footsteps skulk over to me to me making my body freeze. _One…two pairs of steps…it has to be those guys from before._

I calm my fast pacing heart hoping to give the impression I'm not scared as hell about the situation I'm in. the footsteps stop once they're close to me.

"It seems you've finally woken up Lady of Lycoris?"

"The HELL are you talking about you-" one minute I feel myself sitting upright and the next I feel the cold hard ground on my face from him hitting me.

"Be quiet; no one said you could talk."

"Brother we're supposed to turn her over to the boss unharmed…I won't take the blame for you if you continue this." _they sound so monotone and did he just say brother?_

"Look…" I say trying to sit up, "You have the wrong person. I don't even know who you're talking about or what you guys even want. so just let me go already…!" it's quiet for a moment before I hear one of them kneel down and turn my face towards them.

"If you're trying to trick us it will not work."

"I'm not! I seriously have no idea what the hell you guys want!" finally he pulls the blindfold off and allows me to see again. One side of his hair is black while the other is white but on the black side there is a big dot of white. his brother seems to have the same thing only there's a huge black dot on the white side of his hair. They both wear sunglasses for some reason and their clothes are an alternation between black and white as well. His grip on my face grows tighter and I remove my face from his grip before biting his hand. He doesn't seem to flinch as I bite as hard as I can. He finally moves using his other hand to loosen my grip on his hand before he digs his nails into my tongue.

"I suggest you behave yourself unless you want me to rip your tongue out. Last time all I did was put you to sleep using poison but this time I will do worse if necessary."

"I thought you said we were to bring her unharmed Raito." His brother says from behind him,

"Yes that is true Yami. However if she proves to be too much of a handful we may have no choice." _What is this feeling I have? My whole body feels cold but I'm not shivering; that feeling in the back of my head to stay away from danger is back too. Just... what are these guys?!_ The one called Raito releases my tongue and I can feel the blood on my tongue. I watch as he looks at his slightly painted fingers and licks them. _ugh…sick_!

"Well…?"

"Our leader will be please to know that we have the Lady of Lycoris for him. her blood is proof of that." Raito stands as his brother Yami kneels down. he suddenly takes hold of my face forcing my mouth open and kisses me full on the mouth his tongue running over mine. I struggle to get free but it's no use as he irritates the wound. When he finally releases me I take the opportunity to spit in his face. Yami wipes his face before slamming me against the wall, "You don't seem to listen very will; try anything again and I will break you."

"When the police find out about this I'll be sure to-"

"And just what do you think those pathetic humans will be able to do against us Lady of Lycoris?"

"For the last time: Why do you keep calling me that?! I don't know what you mean! And what the HELL do you mean by humans?" Raito Narrows his eyes as he stares at me, "What?"

"You really have no idea who you really are do you? You don't even know about your ancestor do you?"

"I've been on my own for a while now so no I can't say I do. What the hell is going on you jerks?!" Yami stands next to his brother and they exchange looks before nodding. At the same time they both remove the sunglasses covering eyes and I jump back at what I see. Yami's eyes seem to hold nothing but redo orbs in the center as if the eyes are gone and a sphere of red glass is all that's left; Raito's is similar only the orbs in his eyes are a ghastly yellow. "w-what?"

"Do you understand now? We are not human; and neither is that friend of yours. There are plenty of things out there that exist besides humans and they're all hunting down one thing: you." Raito explains.

"But why me?! I don't understand…what…what do I have to do with all this?"

"Everything…our master has been anticipating your awakening for some time now Lady of Lycoris; ever since your mother passed on from this world we had thought that her bloodline had ended. That is until you awakened just recently. We were lucky to catch on so quickly."

"What does he want from me…?" I ask beginning to understand the real threat now, "What he wants is to devour you Lady of Lycoris. By doing so he will become the most powerful being to ever exist."

"Hey brother…" Yami interrupts,

"What is it Yami?"

"I just thought of something."

"What is it?"

"Why don't we take some of her for ourselves?"

"You wish to go against our lord?"

"No…just take payment for our hard work; why should he get all the power when we went through the trouble of finding her?"

"Your mischief is getting the better of you brother…but you bring up a good point…" for the first time I see a smirk on their faces and it sends shivers up and down my spine, "after all that one taste was not enough to do anything."

"No it wasn't…so what do you want to do Raito?"

"Why don't we…try a sample…after all if it turns out that she is somehow poisoned for our master that would not be a good thing and we would take the blame for it."

"Right…poisoned. We don't know if that vampire did anything to poison her in some way."

"then let us start." _Their seriously going to eat me! what do I do!_ Yami is the first to grab hold of me by the arm. I struggle to try and break free but it doesn't work. soon his brother tries to take hold of my legs and I try to kick him away but he makes quick work of them hand holds them down. "Stop your struggling…if you're good Lady of Lycoris I promise I will be as quick and painless as possible although…I can't speak for my brother. He likes to cause trouble." Yami stops me from screaming out by covering my mouth with his hand as he rips off part of the shirt I was wearing. His tongue trails all the way up my shoulder to my ear.

"her skin even tastes delicious…try it Raito." Raito trails his tongue on my leg for a moment causing me to let out a muffled yelp. Tears start to form in my eyes as I try to break free.

"You're right…heh it is good. Although…I don't think our guest has had enough." _I'm scared…I'm scared! Please…stop! I don't want to be eaten…! NO!_ I bite Yami's hand and manage to fee one of my feet to kick Raito in the face as hard as I can. It gives me enough time to free one of my hands from the ropes and make a break for it. They've taken me to some sort of abandoned building and I try to use it to my advantage creating obstacles behind me as I try to find a way out. Somehow though each way I turn and every exit seems to be blocked off. I reach a door and try to open the rusted door even kick it down but it won't budge no matter how hard I try.

"No...!" I bang on the door as I lean on it. I hear something fall over in the distance behind me. "it has to be them…think Miri where can you go?" I look this way and that and find a set of stairs leading up. I race up the stairs and continue to climb until I reach another dead end. "No, No, no! Damn it…!" I can hear their footsteps coming up the steps and realize I can't head back the way I came. However there's plenty of things to hide behind or under including an old desk with a dusty cloth. I pick that to hide under. As I fix the cloth back to the way it was the footstep are on the same floor as one of the brothers comes up. I place my hands over my mouth to keep myself from making too much noise. _Keep calm…keep calm…listen to where they are…wait for them to leave…_I try taking a few calm breaths in order to slow my fast pacing heart. The footsteps stop for a moment as they look around. They move a few things around as they search for me before moving on. again the footsteps stop as they move more objects around the room. Something hits the desk I'm hiding under making me cringe for a long and everlasting moment. _Don't move! DON'T MOVE!_ My hands squeeze over my mouth as I try to keep myself from panicking. The brother lets off an annoyed growl as he comes over he,

"Damn girl…where are you?" Yami kicks the desk sending it and me sliding across the floor. Everything goes dark as the only opening for me to see through is closed off by the wall. "Feh…if I knew she would be so troublesome I would have finished quickly."

"Really and here I thought Tao Spirits knew how to control themselves." _That voice…_

"Oh great…just what I wanted; how about you piss off vampire. I'm in no mood to be messed with."

"What a coincidence…neither am I." Christopher's voice changes as he grows cold, "You have something that doesn't belong to you; if you tell me where she is I might just consider letting you off easy."

"Do you think I would be here looking if I knew?"

"Cut the crap Yami. Where is she?"

"For all I know my brother could have her right now. Besides if I really knew where she was, why would I tell you vampire?"

"I'm about to lose what little patience I have left…so I'll ask one last time. Where. Is. Miri." There's a long pause of hearing absolutely nothing. _God…and I thought Christopher did a personality flip before…he almost sounds like a complete stranger…but I can think about that later. Just beat the guy to a pulp already!_

"Sorry can't tell you. I don't know." _There has to be a way to let Christopher know I'm here without letting the other know I'm here? Ok, ok, ok…what's different about them from Christopher? They're not the same…thing? They're spirits…and Christopher is a vampire. What do vampires do that spirits don't? blood…he can smell it I bet. But how am I going to get him to smell it? I have nothing on me to do it with. _my hand grazes something smooth; feeling around it's triangular shaped and sharp at the edges. _A piece of glass…that could work. _I take hold of the glass shard and place it against my hand. _Christopher please get the message…_ my lip starts to bleed itself as I cut into my hand; the warm liquid drips down my hand. _That should do it…I hope. _I place the glass on the ground with a clink. _Shoot!_

"Oh, there she is…" the desk suddenly moves away from the wall and the light hurts my eyes as I look up. "Well you're not as dumb as you look."

"So we have an unexpected guest." Raito appears in the pathway of stairs looking at Christopher. "it seems that we underestimated your tracking abilities." Christopher smiles

"It wasn't that hard to follow your trail. Now enough games; hand her over."

"Sorry our lord is looking forward to meeting her today." Yami grabs me by my hair and pulls me up

"let me go you egotistical maniac!" I growl digging my nails into his wrist.

"Quiet." Raito commands prompting his brother to bind me in his arms as he holds a hand over my mouth. Raito shifts his gaze back to Christopher, "I'm surprised that you haven't told her anything yet; you're trying to keep her safe and yet you don't even tell her for what or why. Was that Morgan's doing?"

"I see no reason in telling you that." Christopher says flatly.

"Do you plan on taking turns in devouring the girl or do you protect her for a different reason?" Christopher sighs,

"I just said I see no reason in telling you anything…now as I told your brother my patients are about to go out the window. Release Miri…now."

"As I told you we can't." _why isn't he just attacking right now?! C'mon! just let loose on them already! _"I'm curious about something…if you really are as annoyed as you say you are why not just get it over with? is it possible that you left something out besides why you're watching her?"

"Hmpf…looks like even though they're friends he's keeping secrets from her; that's not like you." Yami says. "I'm curious I wonder what you would do if I did this…" Yami snakes his tongue slowly up my neck sending shivers down my spine. Christopher's eyes change to the ember I saw that day and his teeth grit as he watches but it like his body won't listen to him as he stays in place. _Is it because he thinks I don't know what he is…is he afraid of what I'm going to think of him? _"Huh…you have more self control than I thought you would."

"Yami are you trying to make him angry?"

"Not really, I'm just curious as to what he'll do." Yami nips my ear. _I can't blame him for being afraid of me finding out…I was afraid at first when I saw but…!_ I bite Yami's hand again before head butting his nose.

"Christopher listen to me; I already know what you are." His eyes widen at my statement, "back on my birthday…I saw what you did to that woman, the one who tried to black mail you; and yes at first I was scared….but I'm not anymore. You're not a monster to me and I don't blame you for what happened to her…you're my friend so I don't care what you are. So can you do me a favor and just RIP these guys a new one already!"

"Grr…you have a bad habit of being violent girlie." Yamai says holding the brim of his nose.

"Well you'll have to forgive the fact that I don't like being sexually harassed! Especially by some weird perverts like you! Now let me go you DREK!"

"Damn you're noisy." Suddenly a gust of wind bursts in between us and I find myself free stumbling forward and I land in someone's arms. Looking up Christopher smiles down at me.

"Thanks for that; are you hurt?"

"'bout time you grew a pair…"

"Hey come on now that's not nice."

"no, what's not nice is you taking your time to get here; and you owe me an explanation later." I sound mean but he seems to be able to tell I don't really mean it.

"how touching…I feel like I might puke…" Yami picks himself up red eyes staring at us. "You know I'm getting really pissed off with everyone beating on me, first her now you…Hey brother…" Raito heads over to his brother helping him to stand up the rest of the way, "think we can at least kill him and then rough her up a bit…"

"I don't see why not…they haven't exactly been very cooperative." Light surrounds them engulfing their entire bings; Raito in white and Yami in black; one the light disappears two different beings stand in front of us. a white one of light that I can only believe to be Raito sort of radiates light as one hand seems to be slightly bigger than the other and Yami the black one as horns sprout from his head and a tail. As they stand there on Raito's left side a white wing appears and on Yami's right side a black wing appears. "Well then, shall we have some fun?" Christopher pulls me close and lifts me up in his arms before backing up near an opening in the wall to the outside,

"Sorry but I don't have time to play."

"Hey, hey, HEY what the hell are you doing?!" I can only cling to Christopher as he jumps out the window without any warning. "Holy-!" I squeeze my eyes shut as we fall and then suddenly propel into the air. All around it feels as if the wind is carrying us as it swirls around us. I peek out of one corner of my eye and see nothing up blue skies and white clouds passing by us. with a shaky breath I finally stop clinging to him furiously.

"So…am I right to assume that your power is air?"

"Yes you would."

"ok…"

"Are you hurt?"

"Not hurt…but my heart is still pounding from the surprise of falling out of a TEN STORY WINDOW!" I grab hold of his collar, "Next time you want to act all cool could you at least WARN me?!" he laughs at my reaction which only makes me blush.

"I'm sorry it was the only way out without having to deal with them." his face suddenly turns sad, "So you knew…?"

"yeah…I knew…" it's quiet for a moment, "Are the others…I mean Thomas and Nathan…they're all…"

"Yes like me."

"Thought so…" there's a long uncomfortable silence as I look at the passing scenery below us.

"you're really ok with it; knowing what I am?" I'm about to answer him when I see something behind him.

"Um…Christopher!" he looks behind us and sighs,

"Those two don't know when to give up…" behind us Raito and Yami are hot on our trail; Yami suddenly raises a hand and shoots a ray of black light at us. Christopher doges out of the way still carrying me and I cling to him again,

"Are you kidding me with this?!"

"Looks like we'll have to continue our talk later."

"Why are they so insistent on coming after me?"

"That will have to come later right now…I need to apologize."

"Why?"

"For this…" he looks at me apologetically for a moment before tossing me into the air high above. "KYAAAAAAAA! CHRISTOPHER YOU SO OWE ME AN EXPLANATION FOR ALL THIS CRAP LATER AND FREE MINT CHOCHOLATE CHIP CAKE!"

**To be continued… RXR Please…**


	6. Chapter 6

**One Long Night**

_I'm gonna die! I'm gonna die! Holy crap I'm too high up!_ futilely I try reaching for something to grab hold of as I start to float in the air for a few seconds. Then I start going down my heart is going a mile a minute not scratch that every thirty seconds. As I fall through the air I find myself spinning and twirling upside down left right and any other way there could be.

"CHRISTOPHER!" _this is his fault; he's the one who threw me up in the air in the first place! If I get out of this alive I swear I am going to kill him in his SLEEP!_ "OOF!" I suddenly feel myself in the grip of a person and looking up I see Christopher smiling at me apologetically. I grab his collar again gritting my teeth, "Don't do that again!"

"Sorry but I had no choice." Blasts of light and shadow nearly miss us as Christopher doges out of the way, "Damn it I thought I got rid of those two…oh well guess I don't have any choice."

"I swear Christopher you throw me up in the air again…!"

"No I won't do that." he holds me with one arm causing me to dangle my legs and cling to him even more. looking at his face he seems more serious than before. _Not it's not that he's serious…he's completely gotten rid of any emotion. His eyes are glowing but it's like he's got no soul all of a sudden. What is he doing?_ He narrows his eyes as he reaches out with his other hand; electricity suddenly sparks to life as he aims at the two brothers Raito and Yami flying after us. "I'll have to use a more deadly force." Lightning shoots from his hand causing a loud clap of thunder to roar instantly after. The two brothers are able to make is out of the way but seem to get nicked. "I'm going to have to set you down." he suddenly lurches downward heading for a building landing softly on the roof. He sets me down; my legs feel like jelly and I end up sitting on the cold surface. Christopher points a finger at me, "Stay." His expression and the authority behind his voice leaves no room for me to argue.

_I wonder if this is the true extent of his split personality?_

With that he turns back around and takes flight into the air. Christopher strikes at the creatures with another bolt of lightning sending another loud shout of thunder through the sky. The strike is so spot on that it ends up hitting Raito directly sending him flying back. Yami takes the opportunity to attack sending a wave of shadow heading for Christopher; however Christopher somehow blocks it as wind somehow swirls around him.

"Ok so lightning and wind…not the kind of combination I would think of but I guess it works…whoa!" I take cover behind the entryway to the building as fly a ways of Yami's attack hit the roof. Once it's settled down I take a peek out the side only to meet Raito face to face. "Crap…" he reaches out to me and I try to back away. I manage to find an iron pipe near by and reach for it. swinging with all my might I hit Raito in the side of his head. He doesn't even flinch as the pipe makes a metallic clang against his face. His gaze still is fixed on me as he moves the pipe away from himself.

_Oh right…not human…_

I drop the pipe and try to run for somewhere else up on the roof but there really isn't anywhere for me to go.

"Come here… I grow tired of this."

"You're tired of this? I don't even know what's going on how do you think I feel?" I suddenly feel myself at the edge of the building and look down; all the cars and the people especially look like tiny little specks and ants. I look back and forth between the ground and Raito. He comes closer and closer reaching out a hand to me, _Ok, eenie meeni minie- _"This one!" shutting my eyes as hard as I can I leap off the edge of the building. Again I find myself flailing about as I fall to my death. It feels like an eternity and I finally open my eyes seeing the ground coming for me. "I'm gonna DIE!" before I can meet my untimely death I'm caught in mid air once again and cling to my rescuer.

"Are you out of your mind!? I told you to stay put!" Christopher barks at me.

"Hey I was dealing with my own situation thank you! Where the hell have you been?" a blast of shadow blasts by us shattering the glass windows on the building. Christopher covers my head as the glass rains down on us.

"Dealing with my own…" when I look up Yami stares at us red eyes wide with excitement and Raito comes down to float next to him.

"It's unusual…I don't think I've ever heard of a vampire having two abilities before." Raito's eyes narrow. "You're a strange one…" _whether it's normal or not I don't care just kill these guys already…_

"Hhahahahaha! It's actually kind of fun brother!" Raito turns his attention to his brother,

"Are you having another one of your episodes Yami?"

"Oh come on now…when was the last time we had such fun? Even you have to admit it's more enjoyable than you thought." Yami grins widely.

"Yes I can see you're having fun…but try to remember we need the girl alive…"

"Tch always so level headed aren't you?" Raito turns his gaze back to us,

"I am curious though…why do you possess two abilities?"

"Why indeed?" Looking up at Christopher I notice it's his other personality but his eyes aren't like usual he seems angry filled with rage and hatred almost making him seem like yet another person again. "I'll leave that up to your imagination."

"Do you always have such cliché comebacks?"

"I don't know…do you do anything else besides spout nonsense and constantly keep a leash on your brother?"

"I am not a dog!" Yami growls, "If anyone needs a leash it's you raving blood suckers!"

"I don't know…it seems to me that you're constantly listening to your order you around."

"I don't listen-"

"Yami stop letting him get to you." Raito says,

"Don't tell me what to do!" Yami turns his attention back to us teeth gritted, "I don't need a master and I don't need to listen to what my brother has to say!" _did he HAVE to piss him off?!_ "You little…!" his eyes glow a brighter red as he summons all his power. Blackness begins to float all around us and even Raito begins to look alarmed.

"Yami that's enough don't let him get to you. Control yourself!"

"Shut up!" Yami's body begins to convulse as he loses his mind, "I'll kill you…KILL YOU!" his voice is changed as well.

"What's happening to him?" I ask Christopher, as another black wing grows on the other side of Yami and the wings become distorted and seemingly unusable. His face contorts as he grows a long beastlike snout and teeth.

"He's losing himself to his excitement…" Christopher says calmly.

"Stop Yami!" Raito lets loose an attack on his brother in an attempt to snap him out of his daze but Yami only seems to turn on his brother letting loose a blast od darkness from his mouth.

"You're not my master…! Get out of my face!" the blast sends Raito flailing through the air before he turns to us.

"Damn it…" Christopher mutters before Yami comes charging at us. Christopher leaps out of the way sending Yami into the building behind us but he's suddenly hit from behind sending us through the air spinning. He levels out as I cling to him trying to stop my own head from spinning.

"You're starting to try my patients Vampire…" Raito says from above us, "You refuse to hand over the girl and now you've caused my brother to lose control of himself. Do you have any idea how long it takes for me to calm him down?" in answer to his question Christopher summons a gust of wind sending it towards Raito who covers himself from the blinding wind only to be knocked out of the way by the insane Yami.

"Yami! I swear!" in his anger Raito shoots a ray of light at his brother before sending wave after wave of deadly attacks at us. Christopher uses a wall of rotating wind to protect us from a few of the attacks but then starts to move out of the way of the other attacks. All I'm able to do is try to not lose the rest of the contents in my stomach and hold on for dear life. when I gain the courage to open my eyes again behind Christopher I see Yami reaching out to Christopher.

"Behind you!" I scream! Yami takes hold of Christopher by the top of his head and yanks one of his arms from under me. as I slip from Christopher's grip and into the air again Yami opens his mouth and buries his teeth into Christopher's Shoulder causing blood to spew from his body. "Christopher!" Yami releases his shoulder only to chomp right into Christophers neck. My eyes feel wet and I know it's not from the wind, "No…" my body feels hot suddenly and I raise a desperate hand up at them, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" it feels as though something comes out of me as I close my eyes; it hurts but I can't stop it. finally it stops on it's own and I feel weak. Someone catches me as I try to remain conscious. When we land I find it hard to stand on my own and collapse to the ground.

"Yami…" I look up to see that it was Raito who saved me. I look out where he is but I find nothing except for smoke floating in the air slowly. "I don't believe it…" _No…wh-where is he? Where's…Where's Christopher?! What happened?! Where is he?! _ "You…!" Raito suddenly grabs hold of my neck "you killed him! You killed Yami!" he raises me in the air strengthening his grip on my neck. I can hardly get any air as I claw and scratch at his hand, "You took Yami's life…now I take your! I don't care what punishment awaits me; No one kills Yami and gets away with it!" Yami suddenly lets go of me and I fall to the ground. when I look up there's a scorch mark on his shoulder.

"And I'm not about to let you kill her." I turn to see Christopher standing there an electrically charged hand out in front of him. blood trails from his shoulder and neck but he doesn't seem to let it bother him.

"Christopher…"

"Miri stay down." Raito tries to attack again only this time Christopher seems to have had enough. Out of nowhere a huge lightning bolt shoots down from the sky striking Raito in front of me. within seconds Raito is completely incinerated. I sit there for a couple of seconds before I feel a gentle hand on my shoulder. Christopher is kneels beside me making sure I'm ok. "Are you alright?"

"What…What is going on?" I look at his shoulder and neck, "Damn it Christopher…" I try to check his wounds and pull his shirt away. teeth like punctures decorate the entire area, "Oh my god…"

"It's fine…" but he grimaces.

"No you're not fine; we got to get you to a hospital or something."

"No hospitals…"

"You're hurt, BADLY! You need medical attention!"

"this will heal eventually."

"Eventually may be too late!" he tries to stand but falls over, "hey!" I help to support him as he starts to fade out of consciousness. Luckily Raito placed us on the ground and I'm able to recognize where I am, "Ok…we're I recognize that street that means…home is that way." _I don't really understand why he doesn't want to go to the hospital but I can't just leave him like this. I can think about that later right now I have to help him._

…

Pocky seems to understand that something was wrong since he was barking and yipping from a distance. By now Christopher has lost consciousness from too much blood lost and the fact that I had to take back roads to keep people from seeing us only made getting home take longer. I quickly place Christopher on the couch and make quick work of getting his shirt unbuttoned. My heart thumps loudly in my ears as I look at the damage to his shoulder and neck. I bite my lower lip as I watch his blood slowly trickle out of the various wounds. I stand and start pacing back and forth; I hear Pocky's paws follow me back and forth as he whimpers behind me.

I bite my nail as my head reels.

_What do I do…what can I do?! _

**Yip! Yip!** I snap around at feeling paws on my leg and I see Pocky again as he tries jumping on my leg. he sits down whimpering again and his small little tail wagging slightly. I kneel down and pick him up for a moment. One good thing I can say about having this little guy around is that he knows how to get my attention onto one thing. As I hold him I take a deep breath calming myself down and relaxing my tense muscles. Once I do that I kiss him on the head, "Thanks Pocky." Standing I look back at Christopher; sweat beads on his forehead as some trickles down. when I place the back of my hand on his cheek I can tell in an instant that he has a high fever. "Ok I have water, peroxide (that's going to hurt like hell…), clean towels, and gauze and wrappings; I just need to take this one step at a time. Pocky I need you to be a good boy and help out ok? Watch him and come get me if he starts acting weird." For some strange reason it feels as though he can understand me. First I head into the bathroom and grab what I need there then into the kitchen and do the same thing. I start by wetting as many washcloths as I can and wet them in cold ice water I made in the kitchen sink and place them all over his body as best I can. As soon as I place the last one on his forehead I turn to dealing with the wounds. I swallow hard as I realize that this part was not going to be fun in the slightest. I take up another clean washcloth and drench it the solution.

_Even on small cuts this stuff burns; I can't even imagine how this stuff is going to feel in those wounds. I'd say on a scale of 1-10 a 20… at least I know this stuff works…sorry Christopher but I want to help you. _I ring out the cloth into a bowl and turn to Christopher. I bite my lower lip reopening the scab from biting it earlier; leaning over I get a better look at the injuries. As I inhale I place the towel over his shoulder. A split second later he tries to fight me as he roars in pain. I have a hard time holding him down let alone keeping him in place as he nearly throws me off a couple of times.

_Damn he's strong! Ouch! I'm sorry Christopher! _

Wind starts to pick up in the room,

"No, No, No!" I take hold of his face in my hands; I don't know if he's delirious or not but his eyes are open. "Christopher look; it's me. it's just me…" he seems to recognize me, "I'm sorry I know that hurt but it's to help heal your injuries ok…you gotta trust me." he seems to lose consciousness again his eyes closing, "Hey…Christopher?" _water he needs to drink water! if he get's dehydrated it will only make things worse. _ Fetching a glass of water I try to help him sit up, "Come on you have to drink some water Christopher." I place the glass to his lips but it only succeeds in going down his chin, "Damn it…!" _Maybe this will work…_ I take a big swig but don't swallow. Placing my lips on his I clumsily open his mouth and push the water inside. the sides of my mouth are damp but it seems to work; he drinks it. Again I take another sip of water and feed it to him.

_it's so strange…I thought Vampires healed quickly. Why is it like this…fever and everything else…at least the blood flow is slowing now…but he isn't out of the woods yet. Isn't their anything else I can do?_ And then it hits me; that stupid Aha moment you get when you realize something so obvious.

"Blood he needs blood." Back in the kitchen I take a knife from the drawer and come back. Pocky whimpers as he watches me, "I'm sorry boy but it's going to help him." I cut open the same wound on my hand as last time and try to give it to him but again he won't open his mouth, "Fine…same as the water then." I suck on the wound and make sure I taste nothing but the metallic liquid. Again I place my lips on his and again I open his mouth. but the second I place my blood in his mouth his eyes shoot open and he pushes me off him. "C-Christopher!? …Ah!" he spits out my blood like it's a poison. As his eyes glow ember he looks at me half conscious still breathing heavily from his fever, "Wh-what is it? what can't you take my blood don't you need it?!"

"Don't do that again…!" he says, "I…I don't need your blood…!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Never mind that! Just don't do that again!" he cringes as he holds his injured shoulder,

"Ok…ok I won't do it again…" I say as I help him lay back down, "Just rest." I take the clothe from his forehead and rewet it in the cold ice water and place it back on his forehead. As I do the same for the others I look to see the time. It's well passed midnight but I don't feel the least bit tired from all this. the bleeding has finally stopped and I take a moment to wrap the injuries in the gauze and wrappings before I sit and wait with Pocky next to me sleeping as I wait for the next time to change the cloths. I bite my lower lip as I watch and wait for what will happen next. As I check his forehead his temperature doesn't seem to be going down as much as I want it to and I find myself biting my nails again.

_what I wouldn't give for a smoke right now…no what am I thinking?! Get it together Miri! I don't understand though…I thought that vampires didn't get like this…does this mean he's not one? But I saw him bite that woman before so that means he is. but by now he should be fine. did Yami do more to him than just bite Christopher. Raito said something though…he had two abilities he said it wasn't normal for a regular vampire. Is there something different about Christopher then? _ I look down at my hand still stained with my blood from the drying cut, and I remember what happened not too long ago, _why wouldn't he take it? was my blood poisonous to him? no…that's not it…it didn't look like I couldn't take it. his eyes were glowing like the last time too…it was more like he didn't want it. he wouldn't take it…but…why? _

time keeps ticking on and I continue to remain awake worried about Christopher. Finally though his fever seems to be going down so I continue to switch out the cloths to make sure. When I look at my cell phone again the time reads about 4 in the morning and the fatigue starts to hit me slowly.

_I can't fall asleep right now… I have to make sure he's going to be ok._ Despite my best efforts I can't stop my head from bobbing up and down and my eyes feel heavier and heavier with each passing moment. Pocky sleeps by the couch near to Christopher's head falling asleep a long time ago. Taking a deep inhale of breath I stretch before rubbing an eye. He still shows no signs of waking up any time soon but Christopher seems to be sleeping more peacefully than before. In an exhausted daze I try to keep an eye on him.

…

I stretch before clinging to the blanket on my and pull it slightly over my head. My bed feels slightly smaller than what I remember and the blanket extremely shorter. When I breathe in the scent I pick up from the blanket is unfamiliar to me and its texture doesn't feel right as well. I slowly open my eyes stretching again. looking around I find myself in my living room. I sit up and find out that the unfamiliar blanket is actually a jacket.

_This…isn't mine…who's is this?_ I look around and find the coffee table littered with bloody small towels and peroxide. On the floor I find my first aid kit left over gauze and bandages along with other thing. My foggy mind suddenly clears as I look around and remember what happened the night before. _Where is he_? _Where's Christopher?! _

"Christopher…" I pick up his jacket and see the blood stains sending me into even more of a panic. "Christopher…!" I check the kitchen but find nothing but my mess that I made trying to help him. "Christopher?!" I head upstairs hoping to find him anywhere in the apartment, the guest room, my room even but I find no sign of him. I can't even find Pocky; not only is he missing but so is my dog. I dash down the stairs and grab my shoes. As I reach the door it suddenly swings open "Ah!" it nearly makes contact with my face but I manage to stumble backwards to safety. Pocky happily jumps into my lap and begs for me to hold him.

"Miri are you ok?" Christopher asks me as I stare at him. he looks perfectly fine. although I'm not entirely sure where he got the clean shirt from. I set Pocky down and stand grabbing him by the collar,

"Idiot! What the hell!"

"I'm sorry…!"

"You were practically on your death bed yesterday and now your up an walking around! Do you even know how worried I was last night?! You could have at least woken me up and let me know you were fine!"

"I'm sorry…I didn't want to disturb you…you seemed to have not been sleeping for very long." _Don't give me that look!_

"Damn it…! I release him flinging my arms of him and go to sit back on the couch using my hair to hide my tears of relief from him. "Where the hell did you go anyway…?!" _damn it my voice cracked…!_ His footsteps make their way over to me and he sits down. I hear something being set on the coffee table and it sounds like a paper bag. A sweet scent along with my favorite coffee from the café near my place on the way to school I pick up on the fact that he went to get breakfast. This fact seem to do nothing but make me cry even more; he places a hand on my head and pulls me into his chest.

"You like the pastries from the café down the street right and their coffee?" I can't hold my tears back any more; I try to stay mad at him but I'm only able to pretend it,

"Jerk… Baka…idiot… you… You…!" I eventually run out of words and continue to bang on his chest all the while he pets me head and rubs my back gently.

**RxR please!**


End file.
